Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Do you want a courageous organization like 80-20 PAC to protect your children if not yourself? If you missed the announcement regarding 80-20's retrenchment and its possible demise after 2016, please click on http://80-20initiative.blogspot.com/2013/01/80-20-retrenching-likely-will-die-after.html so that you'll be informed. In the mean time, there will be an election by the 2,000+ dues-paying members to elect 3 80-20 PAC leaders among 4 candidates this coming Friday (25th). They are:

1. Kathleen To 2. S. B. Woo 3. Jing-Li Yu 4. Charles Zhang The 3 elected will lead 80-20 PAC for the next four years, assisted by a group of advisors.
They are fool hardy enough to think that they can get a lot done for you and the Asian Am. community in the next 4 years. They will focus on high politics, instead of the daily maintenance of a national organization which normally consumes 90% of the leadership's time. Do your share to help them succeed in not only serving you but possibly keep 80-20 PAC alive AFTER 2016. 80-20 needs a few million dollars to set up a proper reward system for the next generation leaders and staff. PASS the word, if you want to keep 80-20 PAC to protect your rights AFTER 2016.

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

80-20 PAC is retrenching. Likely it'll die after 2016.This email explains why & how.
Currently, PAC leaders are not paid. Some had to average 50 to 60 work hours per week, donate an average of $8,000 per year, sacrifice personal career ambitions and sometimes even their friendships with political VIPs in order to serve our community's best interests. Like many good causes, the fervor & willingness to sacrifice of the first generation leaders may not be shared by later leaders.

Future PAC leaders are extremely hard to find. There is neither adequate financial resource for the systematic training and nurturing of future leaders nor the adequate financial REWARD for qualified future leaders

In addition, PAC's first generation leaders are aging. Many in their 70's.

The above 3 factors have forced PAC into RETRENCHMENT. 80-20's Board has resolved, by a 13-1-1 vote, to adopt the following INTERIM PLAN till 2016.

(1) Most activities that used to take up 90% of the leadership's time, e.g. membership and chapter recruitment, and sending of frequent e-newsletters, will cease;
(2) The aging first generation leaders will focus on national, high-level political activities only. There will be a 3-person Interim ExecutiveCommittee, to be elected by the membership. The younger Board Members will focus on local & state level politics through their respective chapters; and
(3) PAC will be back in full force a few months before the 2016 presidential election. Indeed, if our community is being severely trampled upon, PAC will spring back instantly.

PAC has served the Asian Am. community GREATLY. Let's recall 3.
(a) It fought Candidate Obama with skill and induced him to double the number of Asian Am. life-tenured Federal judges in his first 4 years, and
(b) It fought for equal opportunity for our children to enter elite colleges, against the entire university community and did well in the eyes of the national media and perhaps the Supreme Court.
(c) It now leads a SIGNIFICANT bloc vote that votes 73%. It empowers YOU!

Please compare the above against the total sum of contributions from all the Asian Am elected and appointed officials. Search your heart and decide which entity has served you more. When PAC dies, who will fight for you on these BIG issues?
Only 8,000 Asian Ams have ever financially helped 80-20 PAC in its 14 years of existence. If that number increases to 80,000 or if a few million dollars falls into 80-20's lap to enable a proper REWARD SYSTEM for future leaders and staff, 80-20 could prosper and continue to serve you.

Millions of dollars are donated by wealthy Asian Ams to our top universities each year. That is nice. But these universities don't particularly help protect our community's rights as 80-20 does. Sometimes they even act as a group to deny equal opportunity to our children. When will Asian Ams decide to help ourselves?

The decision is in YOUR hands. Talk to the wealthy people you know, if you think 80-20 is worth saving. A powerful Asian Am. political organization is NECESSARY and will serve us for generations to come. Forward this email please -- 80-20 PAC will likely die after 2017.

I deeply regret that my colleagues and I cannot serve you more fully. I am 75 and have worked for PAC as a volunteer for the last 14 years. Coming back to the frontline duties of the PAC, but focusing on the high level political activities ONLY, is the best I can do. Please forgive me.

Most sincerely yours,

S. B. Woo
Founding President for both 80-20 National Asian Am PAC and EF